by News Decoder | 14 Mar 2019 | Africa, African Leadership Academy, Student Posts
By Adnan Shafi Last October, I had the privilege of interviewing Nigerian entrepreneur Sim Shagaya, who according to Forbes magazine is one of the most influential men in Africa. Shagaya is the founder and former chief executive officer of one of West Africa’s...
by Robert Hart | 11 Mar 2019 | Europe, Nationalism, Spain
A far-right party has emerged in Spain and is gaining strength as the European Union struggles with Brexit and euro-sceptics in other member states. Opposition protesters wave Spanish flags during a rally in Madrid, 10 February 2019 (EPA-EFE/Luca Piergiovanni) Still...
by Abigael Abuga | 7 Mar 2019 | Africa, African Leadership Academy, Contest winners, Student Posts, Women
My family’s helper told me “being single” is her greatest challenge. She showed me an incredible Kenyan welfare group that supports single women. When I asked Dorine, the helper who lives with my family, about her greatest challenges, she quickly...
by Thabang Matona | 6 Mar 2019 | Africa, African Leadership Academy, Economy, Europe, History, Student Posts, Youth Voices
When former colonizers claim their due, they get repaid. But when Africans do the same, they’re told to forget about the past and look to the future. Supporters of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari celebrate his election win, 27 February 2019 (AP Photo/Sunday...
by Mohammed Ehsan Saadat | 5 Mar 2019 | Asia, Human Rights, Politics, Terrorism, Women
After years of conflict, Afghanistan yearns for peace. The best forum would bring the government and Taliban together in a grand assembly. Members of the Afghan national consultative council known as the Loya Jirga in Kabul, Afghanistan, 24 November 2013 (AP...
by Malcolm Davidson | 4 Mar 2019 | Asia, Decoders, Islam, Terrorism
A decades-long conflict over Kashmir escalated rapidly last week. Here’s why fights between India and Pakistan matter to the world. Indians wait to welcome the return of a captured Indian pilot at the India-Pakistan border, 1 March 2019 (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill)...
by Rolinhlanhla Kudzaishe Zinyemba | 28 Feb 2019 | Africa, China, Economy, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Africa has entered a new era of relations with China. Our cultural and economic landscape is shifting. Do Africans benefit from these changes? Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing, 3 September 2018 (AP...
by Atiq Rahimi | 27 Feb 2019 | Asia, Islam, Terrorism, United States, Women
Afghanistan is in peace talks. Governance by the government would be bad, governance by the Taliban worse. Afghans must resist fundamentalism. (Photo by Atiq Rahimi) On the eve of Valentine’s Day this year, a well-known Afghan poet, Ramin Muzaher, recited one of his...
by David Schlesinger | 26 Feb 2019 | Asia, China, Decoders, Nationalism
Taiwan is an economic powerhouse caught between China and the United States, facing an uncertain future: Independence, subjugation or status quo? Soldiers hoist Taiwan’s national flag in Taipei, Taiwan, 1 February 2019 (EPA-EFE/David Chang) Who would have thought that...
by Barry Moody | 25 Feb 2019 | Europe, Nationalism
Populists are riding high in Italy’s uneasy governing coalition and challenging Europe’s status quo. Meanwhile, Italy suffers from inertia and policy drift. Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini holds a press conference in Rome, 11 February 2019 (Angelo...